


Topsy-turvy, Turvy-topsy

by la_muerta



Series: Stranger And Stranger Still [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Asexual Raphael Santiago, Canon meets AU, Crack Crossover, F/F, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Post-Episode: s02e20 Beside Still Water, Shadowhunter Magnus Bane, Switch!AU Malec, Warlock Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-01-30 16:59:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12657690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_muerta/pseuds/la_muerta
Summary: It's been five months since Magnus went to Hell to rescue Alec. Then a demon opens a Portal in downtown New York, and out pop Alec and Jace from another dimension -shadowhunterversions. Things are about to get quite interesting.Or, the crack canon-crossover sequel to this series.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some of you requested for a sequel to this series, and there were suggestions for a canon crossover, so here we go! This should be a short one, and mostly fluff and crack. 
> 
> I'll be honest - I didn't go in-depth into Saphael or Rizzy in the main part of the series because I had never written an asexual character before, especially one in a relationship with a non-asexual character. For this fic, I tried to do a bit of research and hang out in ace forums for advice, so I hope I got this right. (If I didn't, please feel free to tell me what I did wrong!)

 

 

Simon had never been on a first date this awkward. To be fair, his experience with first dates had been limited to a handful of nervous meetings at coffee places with girls from school. But even the usually unflappable Isabelle Lightwood was starting to look a little bit like she would very much like to be some place else, so Simon was pretty convinced that this was going to make, at least, the top five awkward first dates in the history of first dates.

Firstly, there was the fact that Simon himself wasn't even sure what was going on with himself. He had gone through most of his life thinking he was a straight guy who was also comfortable enough with his sexuality to admit that other guys could look pretty damned attractive. That a straight guy could look at gay porn and find it hot. Then Raphael had come along, and there had been that instant connection, and he'd started wondering what it would feel like to kiss Raphael, finding himself worrying incessantly about well-being of the sulky, grumpy boy, surprising himself when his heart skipped a beat whenever Raphael sent one of his rare smiles his way. He'd started to consider that maybe he might rank a 1 or 2 on the Kinsey scale. 

Raphael himself was another mystery. It was just so hard to tell if he was even interested. Most of the time he wouldn't even let anybody touch him. When Ragnor had been alive, sometimes he'd pull Raphael into a hug that Raphael would allow for about five seconds - but that was usually it. And if Raphael tended to behave like Simon's guard dog, maybe he was just overprotective. But Simon had caught lingering glances, seen Raphael get jealous when others got too close to Simon. After their trip to Hell, Raphael had also started seeing Isabelle in a different light, and sometimes Raphael would trade slightly barbed flirty remarks with her or share knowing looks with her about Simon, until Simon wanted to suggest they all just get a room to work out the sexual tension before it killed him. 

Compared to the two of them, Isabelle was definitely the most comfortable in her own skin and with her body - after all, she had had four hundred years to do so. She was confident, knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to pursue it. She had even regained most of her magic since Alec and Magnus had gone back to the Styx to retrieve the jewel that had been her warlock mark. 

The three of them trying to go out on a first date together had obviously been a bad idea. And the problem probably wasn't even the fact that there were _three_ people equally involved in this first date. The problem was that there was a _fourth_ invisible person that nobody had the guts to bring up, his absence felt more powerfully than any spectre.

Simon wasn't exactly sure how they had even got Raphael to come out with them. It had been five months since Ragnor had died, but Raphael was still behaving as if he'd be letting Ragnor down if he so much as cracked a smile. In a way, Raphael was too much like Magnus; when Magnus had thought Alec had died, he hadn't been much better, turning into some sort of demon-slaying robot. And maybe that's why Raphael and Magnus were still dancing around each other, avoiding each other's company, even after Raphael's initial anger had cooled.

"This isn't working out," Raphael finally said, getting up from his seat. 

"Raphael, you aren't even trying," Isabelle chided. 

"What do you want from me?" he barked out in exasperation. "Were you expecting to fulfil your sexual fantasies of having two shadowhunter boys in your bed? Because that's not happening."

"Woah. This is like the first date, man, sex is not on the table," Simon said hurriedly. 

"And what if I said it would never be? At least not for me?" Raphael asked, glaring at the two of them.  

Isabelle frowned. "Are you saying that you're not interested in either of us? Because you could have fooled us."

Raphael sighed. "Look - it's not like that. I'm not like that. I can't love either of you the way that you want me to. So it's probably better if I just stepped out of your way." He gritted his teeth. "I wish you both every happiness."

"Wait," Simon grabbed Raphael's hand, then quickly let go when Raphael glared at him. "What's going on? I don't understand."

Isabelle was looking sympathetically at Raphael. "Raphael, I've been alive for hundreds of years. I've been with men, women, vampires, seelies, warlocks, and everything in between. It's not just about the sex; sometimes it's just about the connection." 

"And you would be ok with me never wanting to kiss either of you, or never wanting anything more?" he bit out. "Why taunt me with a taste of something I can't have? I'd rather just not start anything."

"Raphael, we care about you. I mean I'd be lying if I said I'd never thought about kissing you. But I'm more interested in _you_ , if you know what I mean. And I'm ok with whatever you are comfortable with. I mean, I'd take whatever you're willing to give," Simon said in a rush. 

"As would I," Isabelle agreed. 

Raphael stared at them both and at least sat back down, which Simon counted as a small victory. "And how does this work, exactly?" he finally asked, an edge of sarcasm in his voice. "One of us gets Simon on Mondays and Tuesdays, the other gets him Wednesdays and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays we go off on our merry way and leave him to his own devices, and we give it all a rest on the Lord's day?" 

"Hey, I'm not some sort of object to be shared around, alright?" Simon said in annoyance. 

"Let's not overthink this," Isabelle suggested. "We enjoy each other's company, right? Don't think about splitting the time evenly, or who gets what." 

"So, basically like what we already do - just the three of us hanging out?" Simon asked. 

"Pretty much. Except now I get to make out with Simon and Raphael gets to watch the show," Isabelle said slyly.  

"That might be fun," Raphael conceded with a small smirk, and gods Simon kind of love-hated it when they ganged up on him. 

Simon cleared his throat, eager to change the subject. "Ok, now that we've sorted that out, I was wondering... Does this mean the three of us are going to Magnus and Alec's wedding next week as each other's dates?"

 

 

Meanwhile, in the sewers of downtown New York, Alec and Jace were trying to track down a strange creature. They had assumed it was a demon at first when they had spotted it scuttling down into the sewers, but now they were not so sure. At least, if it was a demon, it was nothing they'd ever seen before.  

They came to a fork in the sewers. They stood there for a while, listening intently, and Alec was just about to suggest splitting up when they heard the scuttling of its alien feet to the left. 

Jace nodded to indicate that he'd heard it too, and they crept down the left fork, careful to avoid splashing in the puddles. They saw immediately that there was a strange light ahead - and that the creature was about jump right into it. They ran forward, and Jace was leaping into the light after the creature before Alec could stop him.  

"Damn it, Jace!" Alec cursed, but he had no choice but to follow. 

They landed on the other side of the bright light into what looked like an exact replica of the sewers they had just left, and Jace was already pouncing on the creature. He slashed at it with his seraph blade, and the stink of ichor filled the small space - so it was a demon, then. But Alec had never heard of a demon that could open Portals on its own.  

"Wait, Jace-!"

But Jace's blade was already coming down to deal the killing blow. Alec had the presence of mind to make a mad grab for the thrashing tail, his blade slicing through its flesh like a hot knife through butter, before the demon folded in on itself and disappeared into its home dimension, plunging them into sudden darkness when the glowing Portal blinked out. 

"What...?" 

"The Portal must have been linked to the demon's life-force," Alec sighed. "And now we're stuck." 

"Oh. I didn't think-" 

"That much is obvious," Alec snapped. In his hand he still held the limp bloody tail of the demon - maybe if they could get it identified, they could still find a way home. 

"Where are we?"  

"The sewers."

"Ha. Ha. Hilarious. You never used to be like this. Being with Magnus is rubbing off on you." 

Alec narrowed his eyes at his parabatai. "Got a problem with that?" 

"No. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's good. I mean, he's good for you," Jace said. "I'm just surprised, you know. You're my parabatai, but I never knew this side of you existed."

Alec shrugged, a dull panic starting to settle in the pit of his stomach. They were shadowhunters; they went out there everyday and risked their lives hunting down the demons that broke through into their world. But if he was stuck here in some strange world, alive, leaving Magnus forever in limbo not knowing what had happened to him... 

"Hey," Jace clapped him on the back. "We'll get you back home, alright? The last time Meliorn sent Clary and me through that Portal to the alternate dimension, Magnus was still a warlock even though there were no more demons or shadowhunters. We're probably back in that dimension - we just have to find Magnus, and he'll be able to send us back. I'm almost certain Magnus is like a constant in every dimension." 

"I... Ok," Alec nodded. _Get a grip, Lightwood_. "Was his Loft still in the same place, in the alternate dimension?" 

"I'm not sure sure, actually. Clary went alone, when I was still in our own dimension. But she said he had some sort of television commercial advertising his psychic services..."

Alec frowned, then quickly shushed Jace. He was almost certain he had heard something up ahead. Could there be more than one of these demons? Maybe they could just grab another one and hitch a ride back to their own dimension. 

He activated an enhanced hearing rune, and they crept forward into the darkness of the sewer with their seraph blades sheathed but hands hovering over the hilts. But whoever or whatever was in the sewers with them was just as good at being stealthy as they were. Alec was almost certain that it was another shadowhunter - which would mean that they weren't in the dimension Jace had been to before. 

Then something dropped down from the ceiling behind them and grabbed Jace. Alec swung around with his seraph blade out, and nearly dropped it in surprise.  

"Magnus?!"

"Alexander! Jace!" Jace's assailant let go of Jace immediately. "By the Angel, what are the two of you doing sneaking around in the sewers?" 

Now that he'd gotten over his shock at seeing Magnus here, Alec's eyes quickly registered the differences. This Magnus was younger, somehow, even though his Magnus was frozen in time as a perpetual 25-year-old. He wasn't dressed as extravagantly as Magnus usually was - there were rings on his fingers and a necklace around his neck, but he was wearing mostly black, and in cheap cotton that Alec himself preferred because there was no sense in dressing up to fight demons. But what set him apart most of all were the runes on his skin, and the glowing seraph blade in his hand. This Magnus was a _shadowhunter_. 

The Other Magnus finished taking stock of Alec and Jace at the same time, and his mouth curled up in amusement even though his eyes remained wary. "Well. This should be interesting."


	2. Chapter 2

 

The Other Magnus didn't live in the same part of town as his Magnus, and his apartment was utilitarian and neat - nothing like the charismatic, quirky decor of Magnus' Loft. Alec didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. 

"Make yourselves at home," Other Magnus invited, and threw himself down on the couch. "Alec - _my_ Alec - should be home any minute now. He's doing the evening shift at the hospital today."

The part of Alec that was the Head of the New York Institute couldn't help looking at Other Magnus and cataloging all the violations to shadowhunter dress code: that dangling necklace was a sure safety hazard, as were the belt chains dangling from his waist; his black shirt had rhinestones on the hem, which would catch the light; and he'd added studs to his jacket, which would defeat the purpose of making them waterproof and ichor-proof.

Other Magnus narrowed his eyes at him. "I might not know you, darling, but I know that face. That's your judging-face."

"I'm not," Alec insisted. It wasn't his business - he didn't run the Institute in this dimension. Although... "You do know those chains are a safety hazard, right?" 

Other Magnus barked out a laugh. "Were you worried about me? Don't be, darling - I'm all about form and function. The chains are electrum, and the necklace is blessed metal. Very handy for grappling." 

"Right." Alec ran a hand through his hair, his gaze jumping to Jace, who was prowling around restlessly. 

"Why did you bring us here, instead of to the Institute?" Jace asked suspiciously. 

"Besides the fact that it might cause a bit of a commotion if the former High Warlock of Brooklyn and his vampire best friend walked in to the Institute looking like shadowhunters? Alec's wards are set to repel those who are not pure of heart - so both of you passed the first test, congratulations."

Alec stared at Other Magnus. _He_ was a warlock in this dimension? He had assumed, when Magnus had talked about him working in a hospital, that he was a mundane. The decor of the place was starting to make more sense though, because this must be his place, not Magnus'. 

"I'm a vampire?" Jace made a face. "Not even a cool type of Downworlder, like a warlock? And don't you dare tell Magnus I said that when we get back, he'll never let me live it down."

" _Former_ High Warlock?" Alec asked. 

"Entirely my fault, but he insists he's okay with it," Other Magnus shrugged. "It's a long and thrilling tale."

"I didn't see any green fire though, when we came in," Jace said. "When Ragnor had that 'pure of heart' ward, we had to walk through green fire."

Other Magnus froze. "Ragnor?"

This wasn't his Magnus, but Alec knew immediately that there was pain there, and loss. Jace being Jace, however, plowed on ahead. "Yeah, your warlock friend, the one that was killed by a Shax demon."

Alec winced at Jace's bluntness. He saw Other Magnus flinch imperceptibly, then continue flatly: "Ragnor was a shadowhunter, in this dimension. His parents run the New York Institute." Alec noted the past tense, and couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that he wouldn't get to meet Ragnor even in this dimension. 

"Huh. So I guess everything is upside down here - shadowhunters are downworlders, and downworlders are shadowhunters. I would have thought that that meant _you_ would be running the New York Institute, though," Jace said, indicating Other Magnus. 

Magnus looked repulsed. "By the Angel, no! Catarina will make a much better Head when the time comes."

Alec's head was starting to swim. Catarina Loss as the Head of the New York Institute? Jace as a vampire? His other self as the High Warlock? He was distracted from his thoughts by a plaintive mew. Alec looked around for the source of the sound and spotted a cat peeking out from the kitchen. The little feline came out cautiously, slinking around Other Magnus' legs first before coming over to sniff Alec's toe. 

"Hey. You have a thing for cats too, huh?" Jace observed. "Our Magnus always leaves milk out for strays." He reached a hand out to the cat currently rubbing its face all over Alec's jeans, and the cat immediately hissed at him and attempted to claw him. 

"Geez! That isn't a cat, it's a fricking demon!"

Magnus laughed. "Alright, second test. Alec’s passed, but Chase has obviously failed."

" _Jace_ , my name is Jace. By the Angel, why are you like this in this dimension as well?!" 

There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. And then a distressingly familiar voice called out, "Magnus? I got your message. Where are they?"

Alec was greeted with the bizarre sight of himself walking in the door, dressed in hospital scrubs. Other Magnus got up to greet Other Alec at the door, and Other Alec leaned in to kiss Other Magnus and smiled fondly at him. And besides the fact that Alec now had a raging headache, it was so strange to see that expression on his own face - so tender and obviously in love. Was that how _he_ looked like whenever he looked at Magnus?  

"Yes," Jace replied, easily reading the look on Alec's face. "That is exactly how you look like when you look at Magnus. And that's why nobody wants to be in the same room as the two of you for prolonged periods of time, because we'd all get diabetes and die."

"Shut up," Alec scowled. Then he caught sight of the ring on Other Alec's right middle finger, and his brain shorted out. His Magnus had one exactly like that too, a thick silver signet ring with a bold letter 'B' on it. And since the Magnus of this world was a shadowhunter, this could only mean one thing. 

"The two of you are engaged," Alec blurted out. 

Other Alec blushed and was obviously fighting the urge to stuff his hand in his pocket so the ring would be out of sight, and Alec was dimly aware that he was blushing in some sort of sympathetic response.

Other Magnus burst out in giggles. "Oh, Alexander. You're adorable in every dimension."

 

 

"So this is the tail of the demon?" Alec asked, examining the offending appendage. It was slimy and oozing green fluid, with an armoured underside that reminded him of Behemoth demons, but the shadowhunters from the other dimension had said this demon was small. The exposed flesh where his shadowhunter counterpart had separated it from the rest of the body was white and smooth. He had never seen anything like this in all his years, and he would have to use magic to do a more in-depth examination. Damn it.

"Um, Magnus. I need..." he held out one hand, well aware that the shadowhunters were observing this exchange curiously.

"Oh, of course, darling. Take what you need," Magnus replied immediately, peeling off one of his fingerless gloves and offering his hand to Alec.

Ever since his ordeal in Hell, Alec's magic had been reduced to almost nothing, dying embers in a cold fire. On good days, if he hadn't used his magic in a long while, he had enough to maybe make one of his more complicated potions, or reinforce the wardings on his apartment - but otherwise it just hummed beneath his skin, still there but unreachable, dormant. So Alec had had to get used to doing everything the mundane way. Travelling and cooking and cleaning were easy, and Alec didn't even particularly miss being able to summon things. But being without his magic to protect him made him feel vulnerable and weak, and being unable to do things that had once been as simple as a snap of his fingers, like healing Magnus when he got injured while out on patrol, made him feel really useless. Working at the hospital had helped, a bit. But when it came to things like these, where his expertise was needed but his magic just wouldn't cooperate...

"It's ok, Alexander," Magnus whispered soothingly. "Do you want to do this in the morning? You must be exhausted from your shift at the hospital."

"No, we'll get the best results now, before the specimen decomposes further," Alec shook his head.  

He took a deep breath, and threaded his fingers through Magnus' hand. It hit him immediately - heady and addictive, a shock of pure energy into his system that sent every cell sparking with magic. He had not realised how much his magic was a part of him until he had lost it, but every time Magnus shared his shadowhunter strength with him, it came back to him in full force. 

He set to work immediately, placing a hand above the demonic remains and using his magic to delve deeper, to see what could not be seen. 

Once he was done, he let go of the Magnus' hand as quickly as he could, mindful of how taxing this was on Magnus' body. But the sudden loss of his magic hit him like blow to his solar plexus. He had to take a moment to gather himself after that, and couldn't help noticing the knowing look his other self was giving him - this shadowhunter had shared his strength with a warlock before. 

"The energy signature is part-Drevak and part-Behemoth, and there's something else there that reminds me of seelie magic. It's like it's some sort of experiment," Alec finally said.

"Shit. Valentine," the one that looked like Jace said, exchanging a look with his friend.

"Who?" Magnus asked.

"Do you not have a Valentine Morgenstern in this dimension?" shadowhunter Jace asked.

"The name doesn't ring a bell," Magnus shook his head. 

"Ok - so, in our dimension, we had this shadowhunter who went rogue and started experimenting on himself and others - demon blood, angel blood, downworlder blood-"  

"Ah. Ok, this story is starting to sound familiar now," Magnus muttered. "Except that in this dimension, it was my father who was doing the experimenting."

"Your- huh. So... angel blood?" shadowhunter Jace asked, eyeing Magnus up in a way that made Alec's hackles rise.

Magnus raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Let me guess - you too?" 

"Valentine also experimented on demons, making hybrids that could pass through wards and ignore the protections given to us by our angelic runes," shadowhunter Alec cut in, in a forced clinical and detached tone. 

"Are there more of these things in the sewers, then?" Magnus asked. 

Shadowhunter Alec shrugged. "I think it might be safer to assume that there are - but they'd mostly be in _our_ dimension, though."

"I'll examine the remains a bit more, and I'll get Izzy to help. And in the meantime, you can form a patrol to scour the sewers to see if there more of these things," Alec suggested. "We'll try our best to get you both home as soon as possible." 

"Last resort, we could try the Seelies - they've got all these secret Portals to other alternate dimensions hidden away," shadowhunter Jace suggested. 

"If that's true for this dimension as well, why wait?" Magnus asked. 

"Well. Our experience with Seelies hasn't exactly been... positive," shadowhunter Alec said, his expression stormy. 

"Oh, not to worry. I'm on good terms with the new Seelie Queen of this dimension," Magnus said cheerfully. "We can go first thing in the morning."

Alec cleared his throat. He'd rather not have his and Jace's shadowhunter doppelgängers staying with in the apartment with him and Magnus, but - what was that saying, keep your friends close and enemies closer? "You can both rest here for the night, if you wish. I have plenty of guest rooms."

"Actually, if you don't mind, I think we might be more comfortable at the Institute," shadowhunter Alec replied politely. "The Institute is supposed to provide sanctuary for visiting shadowhunters, after all." 

"But the Clave..." shadowhunter Jace hissed at his friend.

"Mrs Fell won't say a word to the Clave," Magnus said, already taking his phone out to tap a message out to someone. "Darling, I'm going to go with them to explain the situation. Will you be alright?" he asked Alec. 

"I will be. But maybe help me get Izzy here, before you leave," Alec replied. The last few times he'd borrowed Magnus' strength, the violent ebb and flow of magic had made him black out. Tagging magic exhaustion to the end of a long day at the hospital had been a bad idea - he could already feel the sides of his skull pressing in.

Magnus got up and went to make his call, while the two shadowhunters sat opposite Alec in awkward silence.

"So, uh, what's up with that?" shadowhunter Jace said. "You look like you're about to keel over."

" _Jace_!" his other self hissed.

"Hey, no bothering my man with your silly questions now - you can wait until morning," Magnus said as he came back. "Izzy, Raphael and Simon are on their way. They were almost done with their date anyway."

"Date?!"

Magnus looked surprised at having all three of them suddenly on the same page in big-brother protective mode. "Yes, _date_. Yes, all three of them are in a relationship together. Don't be prudes."

Shadowhunter Jace raised his hands in surrender. "Not judging, as long as they treat her right." 

"Please tell me Raphael and Simon aren't vampires in this dimension," shadowhunter Alec said, looking like he was coming on with quite a bad headache himself.

"They are shadowhunters. But then again, Izzy is a warlock," Magnus pointed out.

There was a knock on the door, and Izzy sauntered in with the two shadowhunter boys in tow. She quirked an eyebrow at the alternate versions of her brother and best friend. "My god, Magnus. You weren't joking."

"It's late, let's get moving," Raphael suggested curtly, eyeing the newcomers with distaste and already unconsciously shifting his stance so he stood between them and Simon.

"I called Mrs Fell on the way here, she's expecting us," Simon nodded.

Izzy snapped open a Portal for them with a twirl, then kissed both Simon and Raphael on the cheek. "I'll see you both soon."

With that, all the five shadowhunters in the room stepped through the Portal and were gone.


	3. Chapter 3

 

Alec had to resist the urge to pinch himself when he woke up the next morning. He knew he wasn't dreaming, and wasn't the type to indulge in denial of hard facts. He was sleeping on one of the standard Institute single beds with a rock hard mattress and rough cotton sheets, the shelves and wardrobe in the room completely clean but bare, as was the norm for visiting shadowhunters. He was wearing exactly what he had gone to sleep in - the standard issue T-shirt and training sweats Other Simon had helpfully retrieved from the stores. None of the comfort of Magnus' fancy silk sheets and memory foam mattress, or Magnus' warm body curled around his. 

He sighed, then winced at the twinge through his parabatai rune. Well, Jace was awake too, then - and quite rudely awakened, it seemed. 

Other Simon, who apparently talked incessantly in every universe whether you wanted him to or not, had helpfully filled him and Jace in on everything that had happened since Other Simon and his sister had discovered they were shadowhunters. Jace had gone oddly quiet after the bit about Other Alec practically bringing Other Magnus back from the dead, and Alec's parabatai rune was prickling with the almost constant unease that he had felt through the bond ever since its mysterious disappearance and reappearance the day Valentine had raised the Angel. 

Well, they were going to the Seelie Court today, so both of them were going to need their wits about them, no matter what Other Magnus claimed. 

Thora Fell, the motherly Head of the Institute, had suggested that they have breakfast in one of the meeting rooms to minimise the number of people who knew about their existence. Thankfully the layout of this Institute was identical to the one back home, so Alec had no problems finding the right room. Raphael was already there, eating with a speed that suggested he would very much like to get out of this room. Catarina was also there, with someone Alec recognised as the werewolf bartender from the Hunter's Moon - except that she had no scars on her neck. 

"Good morning," Catarina greeted him politely.  "Did you sleep well?" 

"Fine. Thanks," Alec replied. He had met the Catarina back home only once, and wasn't sure what to expect. 

"I'm Catarina, and this is my girlfriend Maia," Catarina introduced themselves, and Alec reached out to shake their hands. 

"I'm joining the Shadowhunter Academy in a few weeks," Maia explained with a smile. "Catarina is helping me with my studies, so I can get a head-start." 

So she was still a mundane in this universe. Alec hoped that meant her life so far had been a lot more pleasant than that of the Maia back home. 

He had barely settled down with a plate of eggs and toast when Catarina said, "I heard from Magnus that you're the Head of the Institute where you come from. I understand we probably have a slightly different system from you, but I'm very interested to hear about your experiences on the protocol when dealing with the Praetor Lupus."

"Oh," Alec frowned, having not expected to be talking about Institute paperwork in this dimension, but was soon deep in a discussion with Catarina about his Shadowhunter-Downworld Cabinet. 

"Maia," Alec heard his parabatai say in surprise. He hadn't even heard Jace come in. But he had to say, Jace was not looking well - he obviously wasn't sleeping properly, if the dark circles around his eyes were any indication. 

"Do you know each other in your own dimension?" Catarina asked. 

"Um. Yeah. Sort of," Jace replied in a cagey sort of way that Alec immediately translated to Jace-speak for 'yes, I slept with her' and fought the urge to roll his eyes. 

Thankfully, Other Magnus provided a welcome distraction by sauntering in. Alec stared. He was wearing a very tight purple T-shirt that his Magnus would probably never be caught dead in, with the words "I like my men like I like my women" in bold type. 

Other Magnus caught him staring and shrugged apologetically. "I don't have many clothes left in the Institute. Most of my stuff is at Alexander's place."

"Hey, that's the shirt I bought you!" Simon said as he came in. 

Other Magnus sighed and muttered, "...and that's why it was left behind." Then he perked up with an idea. "It's almost summer. I could just go shirtless."

" _No_ , Magnus," Catarina scowled. 

Alec caught Other Magnus winking at Maia, who was grinning. 

"Goodness, look at the time!" Catarina exclaimed. "I'm sorry we got carried away with our discussion, Alec."

Other Magnus tsked at Catarina. "Lucky I was here to rescue them from your interrogation on paperwork then. Come on, Miach should be waiting for us."

 

 

True enough, there was a blond faerie knight waiting for them on the bank of Turtle Pond when they arrived at Central Park. Alec thought he had a slight resemblance to one of the shadowhunter families back home, though he wasn't sure which.

"Magnus," he nodded. 

"Well met, Miach," Other Magnus replied cheerfully.

"So these are the shadowhunters from the other dimension," Miach said, eyeing them both. Alec met his enquiring gaze head on, and the faerie smiled. "Hostile, aren't they?"

"Oh don't tease them, Miach. They just want to go home. Can you help?" 

"There are hundreds and thousands of worlds running parallel to our own," Miach said. "The seelies have entrance-ways to but a fraction of them."

Magnus frowned. "What would help narrow it down?"

"If one of them had something that belonged to someone from their home dimension - someone they had a strong connection to, or something with a strong emotional significance for that person. And preferably someone with magic in them - a seelie, or a warlock..."

"Well..." Alec pulled an arrow from his quiver and offered it to the Seelie knight. "Would this do? It belongs to my boyfriend. He's a warlock."

"It belongs to - what?! How?!" Jace asked in confusion. 

"It was Magnus' price for being Izzy's lawyer - my bow and quiver," Alec explained. 

"What would he want with your bow and quiver?" Jace asked, but Other Magnus was grinning. 

"Aww. Did you two have a fight, then?"

"We weren't together yet, at the time. And, um... Yeah, he was pretty angry with me," Alec agreed. He turned his attention to Miach, who was examining the arrow. "So will that do?" 

Miach nodded. "I believe so. I will send word to Magnus by sunset."

"Thank you, Miach," Other Magnus told the faerie knight with a smile.

"Anything for you, always," Miach replied solemnly. "We owe you a great debt."

"I did what anyone would have done," Other Magnus shrugged it off, much to Alec's surprise. It seemed that Magnus as a shadowhunter didn't even really behave like a shadowhunter - or at least with none of the arrogance and sense of superiority over Downworlders that most shadowhunters had. 

Miach smiled and shook his head. This was obviously a recurring argument. "I hope to have good news for you tonight. Farewell." He waved at them and walked off into the Park. 

"Let's go back to Alexander's and see if they've discovered anything new from the demon's tail," Other Magnus suggested. Alec and Jace nodded and let him lead the way. 

 

 

When they got there, Alec couldn't help wrinkling his nose, because the whole place stank of burnt ichor. Other Magnus didn't seem fazed by this, and simply made his way to what must be some sort of workshop or study. 

"Where's Alexander?"

Other Isabelle indicated one of the rooms. "Still asleep."

She exchanged a look with Other Magnus, who then quickly and silently disappeared into the room. 

"What's going on?" Jace asked. 

"Oh, leave them to it," Other Isabelle said, and beamed at them. "I have so many questions! What am I like in your home dimension?" 

"Expert forensic pathologist trained in all the creatures of the Shadow world, Institute weapons master, and the best shadowhunter on my team," Alec responded easily, and Other Isabelle's smile grew wider. 

"Best shadowhunter? After me, you mean," Jace interjected. 

"Debatable," Alec shot back, and Other Isabelle laughed. 

"The two of you sound just like my brothers," she said delightedly. "I hope you'll get a chance to meet Jace too."

Jace looked apprehensive about meeting a vampire version of himself, but wisely said nothing. 

"Anything new from the demon tail?" Alec asked, and Other Isabelle's expression grew serious. 

"We've got a problem. From the hormone levels in the specimen, I'd say this was a nesting female," she said. 

"Oh for the love of the Angel," Jace sighed. "You're saying there's a whole nest of baby Portaling demons in the sewers?" 

"Well... It depends on what it has bred with," Other Isabelle replied. "The DNA is very unstable."

"Shit. What if the nest is back home?" Jace asked Alec. 

"Since we're still stuck here, we'd better check the sewers on this side thoroughly first, though, to make sure that nest isn't here," Alec pointed out. "We have no idea how big the size of the brood is, or what kind of damage they can wreck."

"Or if there are more than one of these things, hopping around laying eggs in various dimensions," Jace growled. "I wish I could dig Valentine up to kill him all over again."

"There must be hundreds of miles of sewer lines under the city. We're going to need all hands on deck," Alec said. 

"You need to get back to the Institute as soon as possible to put the team together," Isabelle agreed grimly. 

"I'll go get Magnus, then?" Alec asked, and Isabelle nodded, smiling. 

"Yes, please," Jace chimed in. "That way if they're in there having sex, you'd already have seen everything before."

Alec smacked his parabatai across the back of his head, but went up to the bedroom door to knock tentatively on it. "It's Alec."

"Come in," Other Magnus replied, and Alec opened the door. 

Other Alec was asleep, but with a sort of bone-deep exhaustion that was more like a collapse than actual restful sleep. Other Magnus was sitting on the edge of the bed, carding a hand through his fiancé's hair.

As disconcerting as it was to see someone else with his face and someone else with Magnus' face, it was getting slightly easier to deal with, simply because despite some slight similarities they were such different people. It was more like maybe having a twin - someone with an obviously separate identity, and not a blind copy of himself. 

"Is he going to be alright?" Alec asked. 

"I don't know. This is new territory for all of us," Other Magnus admitted. "With his magic depleted, we don't know if it'll have other side effects as well."

"You mean..."

"He might not be immortal anymore," Other Magnus said quietly. "Lately we've noticed that he might be aging. Very slightly, but still."

Alec didn't know how to respond to that. If that were to happen to him, he'd be sad of course, to think that Magnus would die some day. But he also knew that Magnus saw his eternal life as both a blessing and a curse. 

"You should ask him. Your Magnus."

Alec startled. "What?" 

"I've seen you staring at Alexander's ring," Other Magnus explained. "Have you been together long?" 

"Three months."

"But you already know, don't you?" Other Magnus asked with a smile. "I mean, the fact that we apparently find our way to each other in all the different dimensions - I don't want to throw around words like cosmic and fated, but..." 

Alec snorted. "Yeah."

"Well, ask him, since you already know. And not just because if he's anything like me, he'd love to be wooed. You and I have more in common than you think, especially where marriage is concerned."

"Why's that?" Alec frowned. 

"Because we're mortal, and they're not," he shrugged. "You know the mundane wedding vows - till death do us part? They know it's not something they have to offer. Well, death will part us, yes, but they will go on infinitely after we are gone. They'll think it's unfair to ask us to promise to bind ourselves to them for our whole lives when they can't."

"I've been thinking about it," Alec confessed. "I was engaged to a shadowhunter girl, you know. He crashed my wedding. He saved my life."

Other Magnus laughed softly. "Well, good to know my sense of dramatics is a constant across the dimensions."

"I've just... I don't know when would be a good time to ask, you know?" 

"Now, Alec," Other Magnus smiled, a little sadly. "As soon as you possibly can. Because he is immortal, but not invincible."

Outside, Jace broke the moment by shouting out, "Alec, now's not the time to have a threesome with your alternate self and alternate boyfriend!" 

Alec rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry about him."

Other Magnus shrugged. "Ragnor would probably have been equally bad, if a bit more subtle."

They shared a smile that said fondly and exasperatedly _Brothers, what do we do with them?_

"We'll leave in five?" Alec suggested. 

Other Magnus nodded, and Alec left to give him a few more minutes of privacy with the love of his life, his advice still ringing in his head. 

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

It felt odd to be demon hunting with a group of people whose faces he knew, but really knew nothing about. Besides him and Jace, Thora and Catarina and put together four more teams after some discussion - one for each borough, with Alec's team taking Manhattan since that's where the demon had initially Portaled them to. On his team, he also had shadowhunter Magnus, Simon, Rebecca and Raphael, as well as warlock Isabelle and vampire Jace. 

"Jace and I will take the main branch. Rebecca, Jace - um, vampire Jace and Raphael to the left, and Simon, Izzy and Magnus to the right," Alec suggested.

"I'm not teaming up with the bloodsucker," Raphael said sullenly. 

"This is so ironic," Jace muttered under his breath. 

"Fine," Alec huffed. "Then Rebecca, vampire Jace and Magnus to the left, and Simon, Izzy and Raphael to the right."

"Aye, aye, captain," Magnus said, and led his team away.  

"Huh. That's the first time Magnus has actually obeyed a direct order without arguing," Simon observed before following Izzy down the right branch. 

"Don't start making out in the sewers," Jace called after Izzy's team, and Raphael flipped him off. 

"Hey, focus," Alec reminded his parabatai. 

"I'm kinda glad it's just you and me, buddy," Jace said. "Hanging out with the topsy-turvy versions of everyone else was starting to give me a headache. Especially the vampire version of me." 

"Yeah," Alec agreed, but only because seeing Jace corpse-pale had reminded him of the few hours when his parabatai rune had disappeared and he'd thought Jace had died. 

"So what were you and Magnus talking about, back at the other Alec's place? You were gone an awfully long time."

"Jace, seriously? This is not the time."

"Is other you ok? Magnus and Izzy seemed pretty worried. I talked to her while you were in the room with them, you know. She says she did some blood tests for him, and apparently his blood isn't like normal warlock blood anymore - too human, and there's some weird stuff inside that she doesn't recognise."

Alec sighed. Sometimes Jace had the worst sense of timing - and mostly that meant wanting to talk when they were supposed to be hunting demons. Although at least he wasn't talking about himself this time, so maybe that was an improvement. 

"Come on, man. What did you guys talk about?"

"None of your business."

"Woah. You come into an alternate universe where your boyfriend is a shadowhunter, and suddenly you guys are best friends and you're keeping secrets from your parabatai?"

" _I'm_ keeping secrets from you?" Alec shot back, and Jace turned pale.

"Guys, we found it," they heard Simon call out behind them. "And things do not look good."

 

  

They had found nine clusters of slimy brown eggs in one stretch of the sewers. Each egg was small enough to fit in Alec's hand, and each cluster had about five or six eggs. And one of the clusters had already hatched.  

"Damn it," Jace cursed. 

"So did one demon lay all these clusters, or do we have eight additional mummy demons to hunt down?" Simon asked. "And daddy demons. Or maybe one daddy demon. Wait, do demons reproduce like normal animals or do they-"

"Please stop talking, Sigmund," Magnus said.  

"I think you've used that one before." 

Rebecca sighed. "I guess there go my plans to finish my chemistry paper tonight."

The adult demon had been the size of a small alligator. Judging from the size of the eggs, the babies were probably pretty small - maybe the size of a kitten. How were they going to find them in miles of sewerage pipes? For all they knew, they'd already escaped into the mundane world above. 

"Do the babies start Portaling once they're hatched, do you think?" vampire Jace wondered, poking at one of empty shells with the tip of his shoe.

"I think we're about to get a chance to find out," Raphael said, indicating the furthest clutch. They all fell silent - there was a scratching sound coming from one of the eggs.  

Alec drew an arrow from the quiver behind his back, and was conscious of Simon mirroring his action. 

It happened so quickly, Alec could only let his arrow fly on instinct - he saw the shell break, and it was like a chain reaction, with all the eggs in the clutch breaking at the same time. And by the Angel, those things were _fast_ \- Alec got the first one, Simon got a second, Raphael caught one with a throwing knife, and the other two almost escaped before Alec could draw a second arrow. Luckily, vampire Jace managed to stomp on one, and Izzy sent a bright red magical whip to slice the last one in half.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was very efficient slaying, but I thought we were supposed to try and see if they could Portal?" Magnus pointed out. 

"I'm not sure we can afford to risk that," Alec replied.

"If you don't risk it, we'll never know whether the clutch that hatched before we arrived are still lurking around or if they've escaped to five different dimensions," Magnus said. "We're going to have to take some risks, darling. It's what makes life interesting."

"Interesting?" Jace repeated incredulously.

"Like you haven't said the same things yourself," Alec said sarcastically.

"I was trying to take your side! No ganging up with the alternate boyfriend on me, this one doesn't even belong to you!" Jace complained.

"Five o'clock position," Raphael barked out, and sure enough, another clutch of demon eggs were hatching. 

"Remember - kill all except one," Magnus reminded them.

Alec and Simon nodded, their bows nocked. Everyone worked together to make short work of the second nest, leaving the last demon hatchling to skitter about the sewer. Magnus and Raphael had it cornered quickly, but instead of trying to Portal out, it launched itself right at Raphael's face, tiny mouth open to show rows and rows of sharp teeth and forcing him to duck out of the way.

"It's getting away!" Rebecca called, missing it by an inch with her staff. 

Alec let his arrow fly; it hit the fleeing creature right in the middle and it burst into nothing with a screech.

"Nice shot," Simon complimented him, and held a fist out to Alec. 

Alec bumped it tentatively with his own fist, never having been on very friendly terms with Simon back at home. "Uh. Thanks."

"Ok, so the babies don't Portal. But I don't think we want to stand here all day waiting for the eggs to hatch one at a time," Rebecca said. "Do you think a sunlight rune would work on the eggs?"

Magnus shrugged. Rebecca took out her stele and started drawing a rune on her palm.

"Wait - sunlight rune. Like the one Clary came up with?" Jace asked, trying to peer at what she was drawing.

"Oh, did Clary come up with it back in your dimension? I was the one who came up with it here," Simon said cheerfully.

"And everybody can use it?" Alec asked cautiously.

"Yes, but it works better for the ones with the higher concentration of angel blood - long story, basically our father injected us with angel blood," Rebecca said. "And we have three angel-blooded experiments here." 

"Four," Magnus said, eyeing Jace.

"Cool. Well, obviously not very cool because that means you were also experimented on as a baby, but cool in the sense that you're like us, you know. Not that I'm saying we're cooler than the other shadowhunters..." 

"Does he talk so much in your dimension, too?" Magnus asked Alec. "If he doesn't, can we trade?"

Alec shook his head with a grin, and Magnus sighed in mock dismay.

"Better make yourself scarce," Izzy reminded vampire Jace, and he nodded before disappearing down one of the tunnels at vampire speed.

"Alright - here goes," Rebecca said, and shone the sunlight rune on the eggs. At first, nothing happened. Then all of them started to shudder and crack.

"Crap, that didn't go well at all," she muttered.

"They can't be immune to sunlight! What kind of demon is immune to sunlight?" Simon gasped. 

It shouldn't have been that difficult - seven of them against thirty extremely bitey baby demons. And it was clear to Alec that shadowhunter Magnus was formidable, easily a better fighter than he was. It was so strange to see Magnus moving like this, with his usual cat-like grace but also the economy of movement more suited to a shadowhunter. And Izzy as a warlock was just as incredible as a shadowhunter, her magic whip picking off demons effortlessly. Alec was just about to go down a tunnel to pursue a couple of baby demons that were trying to escape, when he was met head on with vampire Jace running back to them with eight adult demons hot on his tail - eight very furious mother demons. 

"What happened?" Simon gasped, bow temporarily forgotten. 

"I bumped into them when they were on their way back to the nests," vampire Jace replied. "Well, _these_ nests. They were laying another bunch of eggs in another part of the sewers."

"Oh, hell. They are like roaches. We have an infestation on our hands," Rebecca groaned. 

"Let's split them - Raphael, Magnus and vampire Jace are the fastest, they'll take the hatchlings, the rest of us will handle the adults," Alec ordered. 

The adult demons turned out to be a lot harder to kill - because just when you thought you'd gotten one, it would teleport to somewhere behind you to try and bite you on the ass, literally. When Jace had missed the same demon for the fourth time, he made a sound of frustration and bumped into Magnus because he wasn't paying attention. 

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Watch and learn."

He rushed at the demon facing Jace, feinting a forward stab, then quickly slashed at the empty space directly behind him, and caught the demon just as it was teleporting behind him.  

"They're not very bright, they always appear directly behind. Pay attention, Tracy." 

"Show-off," Jace scoffed.

Magnus smirked. "Haven't you heard the saying 'if you have it, flaunt it'? I can't help it if I'm the best shadowhunter in this room."

" _You_ are the best shadowhunter-" Jace sputtered indignantly. 

"If the two of you are quite done comparing the size of your seraph blades!" Rebecca said in exasperation. 

"Well, I'll have to say, not only is mine definitely superior in size - I also happen to have two," Magnus grinned with a wink at Alec. 

By the time the last adult demon had been slain, everybody was winded, covered in ichor, and they had unfortunately let a handful of baby demons escape into the rest of the sewers. And their work had barely begun.

"Look on the bright side - no more new eggs now that we've gotten rid of the mummies," Simon pointed out.

"Yes, only like a million eggs and the Angel knows how many baby demons out there, and before you know it they'll be procreating again," Raphael said.

"Always such a ray of sunshine, Raph," Magnus started teasing, then abruptly clammed up. 

There were footsteps behind them then, and someone said. "Well, I'm glad some things never change, at least."

Alec would know that voice anywhere. He spun around in surprise. "Magnus!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a bit longer than usual, I was on a roll binge-writing my other fic ;)


	5. Chapter 5

 

 

"How did you get here?" Alec asked, rushing forward to kiss Magnus.

"A seelie knight from this realm managed to make contact with me by tracking the arrow you gave him," Magnus explained. "I'd been looking for you too, you see, and between the two of us we figured out how to open a Portal here. And once I was through, I tracked you here."

"So we can go home? You can Portal us back?" Jace asked.

Magnus rolled his eyes and didn't even bother replying Jace. "We should go back soon. According to the lovely seelie who helped me get here, the two of you are messing with the integrity of this dimension. Besides, the New York Institute needs their fearless leader. They are all running around like headless chickens now," Magnus said.

"It can't be that bad, Izzy is more than capable of running the Institute," Alec said with a wry smile. "We have to finish eliminating the demons here first though. It was Valentine's fault that they came here, anyway."

"That should be simple enough. Just a spell to flush them out..." then he trailed off, looking at something beyond Alec's shoulder and suddenly looking quite aghast. "I'm a _shadowhunter_ in this dimension?"

Other Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"

Magnus opened his mouth, then shut it again. He glanced around the room at everyone else and made a face. "This is weird. Let's never do this again," Magnus declared.

"You were saying something about a spell?" Isabelle asked, and Magnus smiled at her. 

"Being a warlock suits _you_ very well though, darling. Now, about that spell..."

 

 

Ten minutes later, they were all waiting outside a manhole on a secluded street fortified with extra glamour and containment spells. Magnus and Isabelle would flush out all the demons from the sewers and drive them to the waiting shadowhunters (and vampire), although Magnus had warned them that the spell was powerful enough that they might get all the demons hiding in there and not just Valentine's experimental monsters. 

They had an inkling of just how powerful the spell was when the ground beneath their feet started rumbling a few minutes later.  

"Shit, what did Magnus do?" Jace muttered. "That doesn't feel like a couple dozen of those tiny baby demons."

A wave of baby Portaling demons came out of the sewers, maybe forty or fifty of them - but before anybody could do more than skewer a few of them, there came a stench of burning oil. The baby demons scrabbled at the magical barrier Magnus had set up around the perimeter, clearly eager to get away from whatever was following after them. And from the looks on the faces of all the shadowhunters from this dimension, they knew exactly what was coming.

"Alec, take everybody and go," Other Magnus said firmly. "The baby demons can wait."

"What? But-"

"They are coming for me," Other Magnus replied. 

"All the more reason not to leave you alone!" Alec said in exasperation. "What is it?"

"Moloch."

"What, like the Greater Demon?"

"Probably not - I don't think he can come up here without some sort of conduit. But the smaller ones are extensions of him, they have a hive mind," Other Magnus replied grimly.

"Isn't this going against your command?" Simon asked nervously. "You said no consequences, and no demons following after us."

"I guess I wasn't specific enough - maybe I should have said the conditions would last forever, beyond our escape from the hell dimension."

"Bastard," Simon cursed.

"Demon," Other Magnus pointed out, with some amusement

"Well, tough luck - we're not leaving," Jace said. 

"How nice of you to care, Jake," Other Magnus grinned - then a dozen Moloch demons swarmed out of the sewers. 

It was a melee. As he had predicted, the Moloch demons seemed to be drawn to Other Magnus, and everybody tried their best to keep them off him while also trying to squash the baby demons tripping them underfoot. But it was going as well as demon slaying could go, until one of the Moloch demons nearly got Raphael, and Other Magnus took the blast of fire from its eye sockets by pushing Raphael out of the way. Thankfully it only singed the sleeve of Other Magnus' jacket, but this seemed to really anger Raphael. 

" _Dios!_ What the hell was that, Magnus?" Raphael shouted, battle momentarily forgotten. 

"Covering your ass?" Other Magnus asked in confusion. 

"Just because Ragnor is gone, doesn't mean I suddenly need you taking care of me," Raphael snarled at Magnus while sidestepping a demon. 

"Yeah, tell that to your weak defence on the left because you're so used to having Ragnor cover that," Magnus bit back. 

"We've been trying to get the two of you to talk to each other for five months, and you're going to do this _now_?!" Simon cried out. Both of them ignored him, continuing to snipe at each other while stabbing demons. 

"Would it kill you to let me try and help you some times? I know I'm not Ragnor, but-"

"Yeah, you're not my parabatai, you're not my anything - so back off!"

"Oh god, you're seriously going to do this now. Ok..." Simon muttered.  

"You're my brother!"

"I was never your brother, _Ragnor_ was. I was just the annoying kid you tolerated because he was best friends with your brother!"

"Raphael - you are full of shit," Other Magnus said through gritted teeth. "All this time I thought I was giving you space because you were angry with me for causing Ragnor's death, and now you're telling me you thought I was trying to avoid you because I didn't care about you? Who did you think got Izzy to charm all your gear with extra protection charms when you were still in a funk? Who do you think made Simon bring you meals in your room every day for a week after the funeral even though he thought you were going to bite his head off and throw the tray at his head? If you seriously think I suddenly stopped thinking of you as my brother just because Ragnor is gone, I'm going to punch you."  

"You-" Raphael stared.

"Guys, hug it out later, alright?" Simon pleaded. "We have demons to kill."

"Actually - we're all done," Jace replied cockily, stabbing the last of the Moloch demons. "While the two of you were busy shouting at each other."

Alec rolled his eyes and fired an arrow at the last two baby demons, getting them both in one shot. "No, _now_ we're done."

"What can I say? We always made the best team," Jace grinned at Alec.  

"I distinctly remember killing at least three Moloch demons while I was arguing with Raphael, but whatever," Other Magnus scoffed. 

There was a ripping sound of a Portal opening, and Magnus and Isabelle stepped out. 

"Sorry - I don't know how that rift into the hell dimension opened up. It took both of us a while to seal it, and by then a number of those Moloch demons had already broken through. Perhaps the seelie knight was right, and our presence is somehow weakening the fabric of this dimension. We should go."

Alec suddenly had an idea. He pulled Magnus aside to speak quietly to him. "Hey, there's something wrong with the me of this dimension. They told me he walked through heavenly fire to get to the other Magnus, and he seems to have lost his magic ever since. You grew up under the care of the Silent Brothers, right? Would you know anything about the effects of heavenly fire?"

Magnus frowned. "Not as well-versed as the Brothers, but I have read some of their texts. I could take a quick look."

 

 

By the time they all got through the Portal to Other Alec's apartment, at least he was awake, if still a little wane. He seemed quite used to having a large group of shadowhunters just trooping into his house uninvited, although he did frown a little when he saw there were two Magnuses. He grudgingly allowed Magnus to examine him after some reassurances from Other Magnus, although Isabelle hovered very closely throughout the whole process.

"I'm not sure, but I think there are traces of something angelic in his blood, warring with his demonic heritage," Magnus finally said. "We warlocks get our powers from our demonic parents, and if that side of it is blocked off..."

"Then he can't access his magic. Is there any way to remove the angelic presence?" Isabelle asked worriedly.

"I don't think so. I don't know of any way to draw out heavenly fire," Magnus said regretfully.

"The heavenly fire. It's just going to burn through all the parts of him that are demonic, isn't it?" Other Magnus said dully. "And when it's through with him, he will be fully human. And all the four hundred years of his life will suddenly come crashing down on his mortal body."

"Maybe, or maybe not - there's no precedent for something like this," Magnus said carefully. "He may survive the removal of the demonic side of him yet."

"But he will die some day - he's no longer immortal," Other Magnus said, looking a bit like he was fighting back tears.

"Hey... it's ok," Other Alec said, placing a hand on Other Magnus' hand. 

"No, it's not. Because of me-" 

"Have you heard about an ancient Sumerian poem titled the 'Epic of Gilgamesh'?" Other Alec asked. "' _Who is the mortal who can live forever? The life of man is short. Only the gods can live forever._ ' But I am not a god, Magnus. I want the life of a man - I want to have the man I love in my arms, my family around me, the simple joys of life. We have one lifetime together, and I'm lucky enough to have a second chance at that with you. That's enough for me." 

He turned to Isabelle and smiled a little sadly. "I'm sorry, Iz." She just shook her head and wiped a tear away.

"And your magic?" Other Magnus asked.

"It's fine."

"I remember telling you on many occasions that you are a terrible liar," Other Magnus frowned.

"Ok, I'm not fine yet, but I will be," Other Alec amended. "After all, I have you by my side."

"Look, Alec - whatever happens, don't start drinking demon blood, ok? We've seen Sam Winchester go down that road and we all know it doesn't end well," Simon said hurriedly. 

Other Alec frowned in confusion. "Demon ichor is toxic, why would I drink it? And who's Sam Winchester?" 

"You watch too much television, Si," Rebecca sighed.  

"Right, I guess our work here is done. We really should go," Magnus said. "The seelie knight said he'd be waiting for us at Central Park."

"Alright, let's go then," Simon said.

"Uh..." Jace stared at him. "You guys are coming along? All of you?"

"Well, yeah. We can't let you go back without a proper send-off and saying goodbye right?" Simon said cheerfully. Jace threw his hands up in surrender.

 

 

It was strange Alec thought, watching Magnus, warlock Isabelle and the seelie knight Miach discussing something about the Portal they were opening, and watching shadowhunter Simon trying to engage Jace in grudging conversation. Maybe they could have all become friends, of a sort, in this topsy-turvy dimension. 

"Well, Cat will be disappointed that she can't have another long discussion with you on how to run an Institute," Other Magnus said. "Maybe I should ask Miach about interdimensional fire messages."

"That would be nice," Alec agreed, surprising himself. Other Magnus had become a friend, even if it was a little disconcerting that he had his boyfriend's face - they clicked somehow, in an entirely platonic way, which was nice.

"I'm sorry you can't stay for the wedding, but it might have been weird, anyway," Other Magnus said. He leaned closer to Alec so only he could hear him. "You'll just have to attend your own."

Alec grinned. "Yeah."

"Come on, Alexander," Magnus called as Jace stepped through the Portal, and Alec took Magnus' hand as they stepped through together.

Alec turned just in time to see the everyone on the other side waving goodbye to them, and Other Magnus blowing him a kiss, before the Portal winked out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End.
> 
> Ok, this was fun to write, but also really weird. I don't do crack very well when there's too much emotional baggage! Hope you guys had fun reading it.


End file.
